Empowering others, empowers me.
Tess Brouwer is a published author, practitioner of positive psychology and wellbeing, Life wellness advocate, and co-founder of a transformative wellbeing business alongside 7x world champion and fellow mental health advocate Layne Beachley.
Tess’s career was at the forefront of innovation and leadership as Head of Partnerships at Virgin Australia, leading some of the biggest sponsorship and brand deals in sports, fashion, and music. But her life changed forever after a skiing accident she initially ignored. That moment marked the beginning of a life-altering journey—7 months in and out of 5 hospitals, 3 months in a spinal ward, 2 major surgeries, and a spinal cord injury. Left with no home, job, money, or sense of self. Tess had to rebuild from the ground up.
Today, Tess works with some of the world’s leading businesses, including Coles, KPMG, and Luxottica, empowering teams through workshops on embracing change, leading with energy, EQ, and empathy, and understanding why happiness drives performance. She also tackles the critical topic of avoiding the dreaded corporate burnout, blending lived and learned experiences with science-backed positive psychology principles.
As a speaker, Tess delivers authentic, insightful, and transformative sessions that inspire action. Her workshops and keynotes equip audiences with the tools to prioritise self-care, navigate change, and lead with purpose in both their personal and professional lives.
Talking Points
Lead with Wellbeing: How to Lead with Energy, Empathy & EQ
This powerful keynote combines Tess’s personal story with science-backed tools to inspire transformation. Expect your audience to laugh, reflect, reset - and leave with real tools to thrive.Lead with Wellbeing: How to Lead with Energy, Empathy & EQ
Attendees will walk away with:
- A toolkit for sustainable self-leadership
- A reframe on adversity, energy and emotional honesty
- Proven micro-habits to boost mindset, connection and performance
- Permission to pause, reflect, and reconnect with self and others
Ideal For:
- Corporate off-sites
- Women in Leadership summits
- Mental health & wellbeing conferences
- Executive and people leader retreats
- Culture change and transformation events
Tess has recently spoken at:
- SXSW Sydney
- Marnong Estate Women in Leadership Luncheon
- Coles Leaders Summit
- KPMG’s Own Your Truth Leadership Series
Let’s Talk Impact: Tess doesn’t just deliver inspiration. She sparks action.
Lead from Within and THRIVE
How to stop running on empty and start leading from a place of energy, presence and truth.Lead from Within and THRIVE
Tess shares her personal turning point – from spinal injury and burnout to rebuilding identity and purpose. This keynote unpacks how stress hijacks leadership, how to rewire the brain, and how to create a culture where presence matters more than performance.
Audience takeaways:
• The neuroscience of burnout and recovery
• Five tools to reset your nervous system and restore energy
• How to rebuild confidence after setbacks
Creating a Mentally Well Team
Cultivating connection, trust and emotional safety at work.Creating a Mentally Well Team
In this practical keynote, Tess brings the principles of emotional intelligence and psychological wellbeing to life. She offers leaders and teams the rituals, language and strategies to embed wellbeing into everyday culture.
Audience takeaways:
• How to create emotional safety and connection in meetings
• Strengths-based team building tools
• Frameworks for conversations that build trust
Change & Challenge: Equipping You for the Journey Ahead
Turning disruption into growth, and challenge into clarity.Change & Challenge: Equipping You for the Journey Ahead
Tess invites audiences to view change through a new lens – not something to fear, but something to be equipped for. With tools drawn from lived adversity and behavioural science, this keynote offers a grounded framework for resilience.
Audience takeaways:
• How to manage uncertainty without losing yourself
• Understanding the brain’s resistance to change – and how to overcome it
• Reframing fear into courageous action
The Science of Wellbeing
The practical psychology of happiness, health and human potential.The Science of Wellbeing
This keynote distils the most compelling research from psychology, neuroscience and human performance into practical daily shifts. Tess weaves in her own transformation to offer a clear roadmap to feeling better, thinking clearly and living with intention.
Audience takeaways:
• What actually drives sustained happiness (and what doesn’t)
• Positive psychology tools that improve wellbeing at work and at home
• How to design your day for more energy, meaning and satisfaction
Courageous Conversations: Emotional Wellbeing for Anyone Leading a Life
Whether you’re leading others or just trying to lead yourself through a hard day – this talk is for you.Courageous Conversations: Emotional Wellbeing for Anyone Leading a Life
This keynote is for quiet leaders – the ones who hold space for everyone else, get the job done, raise the kids, run the meetings, but go to bed wondering why they feel so tired, so unseen, or so full of unspoken words.
Tess shares the truth about what happens when we don’t speak up – when we people-please, push through or pretend. Drawing on her personal healing and two decades in high-performance environments, she offers a practical guide to finding your voice again.
This isn’t a talk about conflict. It’s a talk about connection – with yourself and others.
Ideal for:
Anyone who leads people, raises families, works in service or simply wants to live more honestly and fully.
You’ll learn:
• How to speak up without burning out
• Why emotional honesty builds strength, not weakness
• Tools to name difficult feelings without shutting down or lashing out
• How to create safer conversations at home, at work and within yourself
• Practices to stay grounded when emotions run high
Video
Tess Brouwer | Mental Wellness Champion, Brain & Spinal Cord Injury Survivor, Co-Founder & CEO of Awake Academy Saxton Speakers
Tess Brouwer is a living testament to resilience, mental wellness, and the power of rewriting your own story. A former high-flying executive at Virgin Australia, Tess’s life took a dramatic turn after a severe brain and spinal cord injury from a skiing accident. Facing months of hospitalisation, two major surgeries, and profound personal challenges, Tess emerged with a renewed sense of purpose. Tess shares her journey from rock bottom to becoming a mental wellness champion in her powerful presentations. She discusses overcoming physical and emotional trauma, breaking free from the pressures of "keep going" culture, and the importance of rewriting the stories we tell ourselves. Her message resonates with anyone looking for inspiration, hope, and practical personal growth and resilience strategies.Tess you are a true gem in human form. Your openness, vulnerability, and generosity of spirit were truly remarkable. The session was a perfect blend of deep reflection and lightheartedness. ... keep reading Coles
